againstmebomb

The Good Life, Inmates

"When you said you loved me, did you really love me?
Or did the words just spill out
like drool on my pillow.
Cause I was naked
when you said those words,
but I felt covered in your whispered worship.
And as you passed out fast on my shoulder,
I imagined a child
waiting so sad and still for his mom to arrive.
Did she leave you an orphan,
in that big, brown leather chair?
Said, Dont you move a muscle, kid,
Ill be back in twenty years,
You were scared, you were lonely,
but you mustve been aware;
life is a series of calluses,
this is just another layer.
So, buildem up, tough it out,
yeah, thats your skin
dont let anyone under there.

When you said you needed me,
did you really need me?
Or was I just someone
oh, youd take anything.
Am I first on that list of yours,
or am I second, or third?
So, whos that ahead of me,
some harlot from Pittsburgh?
Or Detroit, Santa Fe, or San Diego?
I know youre so alone,
but how much affection does one guy really need?

Did you date a lot in high school?
Were you always chasing girls?
Couldnt you find some young valentine
to steal your heart for good?
Were you content, or contemptible?
Are your memories pleasant,
or is it a string of endless flings of bitter resentment.
Seems that what you want and what you need
doesnt mean a thing, were just here for the taking.

When you said youd hurt me,
did you think you hurt me?
Are you really that cocky?
Oh, what a heartbreaker!
Well, Ive got my armor
yeah, Ive been through some battles before.
And I met your old girlfriend,
she said, Baby, dont bother.
She told me you told her youd hurt her
Funny, how familiar.
So, how much of this relationship was rehearsed?

Did you act out as a child?
Were you always crying wolf?
Attention-starved, you tried too hard
to get someone to look.
Now youre the wolf in second-hand clothing.
Im the sheep in a pleated skirt.
Its an awkward form of payback,
but if it works for you, it works.
Its that I recognize your off-white lies,
still, I lie beside you
and thats what really hurts.

When you said youd leave me
well, why havent you left me?
What are we still doing here,
so desperate for company?
Theres a greyhound on Jackson Street,
theres an airport in Council Bluffs.
Hell, theres a car in the driveway.
Fifty ways to get lost.

But as I hold you and listen to you sleeping,
Im starting to wonder if you really believe
that youd ever really leave.
Would you leave me, an orphan,
in that big, brown leather chair?
The one youve lugged around from town to town for all these years.
Its the trophy of your childhood,
like a sharks tooth or gator skin boots
but this one holds you prisoner
it holds me prisoner too.
What we need to set us free
is to let go of each other let go of everything.

When I said I loved you,
it was because I loved you.
When I said I needed you,
well, I really need you.
Yeah, I guess you hurt me,
for once youre a man of your word.
Well, guess what
Im leaving.
I cant be your prisoner.

I wont."




I did not write this. It's a song by The Good Life called Inmates.